Burial vault and casket



April 21, 1959 R. KIDD BURIAL VAULT AND CASKET 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 26, 1957 INVENTOR WM, BY 91m fhGNmwn,

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ATTORNEY April 21, 1959 R. KIDD BURIAL. VAULT AND CASKET 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 26, 1957 INVENTOR W ATTORNEY The invention relates to burial caskets, an object being to provide a readily portable combined burial vault and casket of conventional casket form composed entirely of water and air tight indestructible material and entirely sealed against penetration therein of outside deteriorating influences, so that a corpse therein will be preserved for an indefinite time against deterioration from said outside influences, said casket being provided with means for use in exhausting the air therein and replacing it with a gas adapted to retard said deterioration for an indefinite time against deteriorating influences within the casket.

Another object is to provide such a casket entirely closed excepting one end thereof, which is open, and a stretcher having slidable connection with and slidable within and without the casket through said open end, said stretcher having a headpiece connected thereto closing said open end, said headpiece being sealed water and air tight to said open end. Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter or will be obvious.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side view of the casket, with the stretcher partially withdrawn therefrom; Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the casket on the line 2-2, Fig. 3, partly broken away and on a larger scale, with the stretcher in closed position; Fig. 3 is an end view taken from the open end of the casket, with the stretcher removed therefrom; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44, Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modification with the hinged cover thrown back; Fig. 5a is a section on the line 5a-5a, Fig. 5, with parts broken away; Fig. 6 is a detail side view of the stretcher; Fig. 7 is a central longitudinal section of one of the valves; Fig. 8 is a section on the line 88, Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a central section of the safety cap for this valve; Fig. 10 is a section on the line 10-10, Fig. 11; Fig. 11 is a central longitudinal section of the other valve; and Fig. 12 is a central section of the safety cap for said other valve.

In the drawings 1 designates the burial casket, comprising a casket entirely closed excepting one end 2 thereof which is open, and a stretcher 3 having slidable connection 4, 5, with and slidable within and without the casket through said open end, said stretcher having a headpiece 6 connected thereto at 7 closing said open end upon sliding the stretcher entirely within the casket. The casket is designed to be of conventional form and to be constructed of light weight metal or equivalent material so that it is readily portable. The stretcher 3 is shown in the form of a tray adapted to receive a cushion.

The casket is composed entirely of water and air tight indestructible material and is entirely sealed against penetration therein of deteriorating influences from outside the casket, so that a corpse therein will be preserved for an indefinite time against deterioration therefrom; said casket being provided with means for use in exhausting the air therein and replacing it with a gas, such for example as inert nitrogen, adapted to retard said deterioration for an indefinite time against influences within the casket, such as said oxygen, said means comprising two valves 8 and 9 adapted to open respectively inwardly and outwardly and to be automatically closed by their springs 8' and 9' upon being opened and after the air has been so exhausted and so replaced. Said valve 9 is provided with means for maintaining a predetermined gas pressure States Patent 0 within and to keep gas from escaping from the casket until said pressure is exceeded, comprising a hollow plug 9" having threaded engagement with the casing of said valve at the outer end of said casing. Upon adjustment of said plug by screwing it in or out, the tension of said spring 9 will be adjusted for said purpose.

The casket is provided with longitudinal guideways 4 extending along and above its bottom, said stretcher having bottom longitudinal guides 5, slidably engaging said guideways, said guideways and said guides providing means for securely maintaining or locking the stretcher against upward, downward and lateral displacement substantially throughout its slidable movement and for securely maintaining the stretcher in any desired slidable position, said means being shown as consisting of cylindrical rods 5 forming said guides, connected to the bottom of the stretcher by contracted necks 5, and hollow cylindrical guideways 4 embracing said rods and through which said rods slide, said guideways being connected to the bottom of the casket at 4'.

The headpiece 6 is sealed to the open end of the casket by any suitable water and air tight means, such for example as a marginal inwardly extending flange 10 extending entirely around said open end, said headpiece 6 having marginal abutment against said flange through the medium of a gasket insert, not shown, screw bolts, not shown, engaging holes 11 of said flange and corresponding holes of said headpiece, which holes 11 may be taped, thereby locking said headpiece and said stretcher in closed position and exerting pressure upon said gasket insert.

A modification is shown in Figs. 5 and 5a, in which the top of the casket is provided with a transparent panel insert 12, and a suitable removable hinged cover 12 therefor, corresponding reference characters of the modification being distinguished from those of the main form by the exponent The right is reserved to modifications coming within the scope of the claim.

Safety caps 13 and 14 may be screwed to the outer ends of the valves 8 and 9 after the casket is ready for burial to insure that nothing enters nor escapes from the casket after burial.

I claim:

A readily portable combined burial vault and casket, composed of water and air tight indestructible material and entirely sealed against penetration therein of deteriorating influences from without, said casket being entirely closed excepting one end thereof which is open, and a stretcher having a slidable connection integrating it with the casket and slidable within and without the casket through said open end, the other end wall of the casket having valve means therein for use in exhausting the air within the casket and replacing it with a preservative gas for retarding deterioration from influences within the casket, said slidable connection consisting of Iongitudinal cylindrical guideways extending along and above and connected to the bottom of the casket and having upper longitudinal slots, and longitudinal cylindrical guide rods slidably engaging said guideways extending along and below the bottom of the stretcher and having contracted necks connected with the bottom of the stretcher and working in said slots, said stretcher being spaced from the bottom of the casket by said slidable connection, said stretcher being of less breadth than and spaced from the sides of and thereby centered within the casket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,093,324 Gillespie Apr. 14, 1914 1,459,939 Urtubees June 26, 1923 2,665,471 Gould Jan. 12, 1954' 

